From top to bottom, Hammer No More the Fingers, Free Electric State, Lonnie Walker, the Brand New Life, and Murphy’s End. Five local bands at two venues last night, and I’d really wanted to catch Gross Ghost’s set at the Cave after Hammer, but ill-advised application of a final whiskey and ginger forced shep. and I to go procure Cheetos and chicken burritos and walk home instead.

I love that I could do that last night, though — that I could see five local bands, all of whom are supremely talented in their own rights and their own genres (all of which are a little or a lot different: garage punk, post-rock, indie pop, Afro-punk, and instrumental hardcore), plus a show at the Cave with three others that I completely missed, within five minutes of each other. Fucking lucky, really. The Thrill is amazing; the Triangle scene is amazing.

Full set from the Brand New Life is here; full set from the Hammer show is here.

Today shep. and I head to Charlotte to see Josh Ritter and Sarah Harmer at a sit-down theatre; the first show of this year where I might not be able to take photos. It’s weirding me out a little, thinking about it, but the zoom lens is buried at the bottom of bag, just in case.